Workers at an Amazon distribution center in North Carolina have voted against forming a union, marking another instance where Amazon employees have opted not to pursue union representation.
Approximately 75% of the workers at the Garner facility, located near Raleigh, chose not to align with a grassroots labor group known as Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment. This outcome was announced by the National Labor Relations Board on Saturday.
In total, 2,447 employees voted against unionization, while 829 supported joining the independent union composed of both former and current Amazon workers. The NLRB indicated that about 4,300 Amazon employees were eligible to participate in the election, which was conducted from Monday to Saturday.
Rev. Ryan Brown, a co-founder of the union initiative and a former worker at Amazon, expressed on Saturday that they had prepared for a defeat.
“We were aware that historically, the likelihood of success was low for several reasons,” remarked Brown. “Firstly, we are in the Southern part of the U.S., and secondly, many workers in North Carolina lack familiarity with labor unions and their potential benefits.”
This vote occurred shortly after workers at a Whole Foods Market in Pennsylvania successfully voted to unionize, marking a milestone for organized labor within the grocery chain, which is owned by Amazon. Following this unionization victory, Whole Foods attempted to dismiss the election results, claiming irregularities in the voting process.
In 2022, employees at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, succeeded in unionizing through the Amazon Labor Union, which subsequently partnered with the Teamsters last year. However, Amazon has contested this election result and has not engaged in contract negotiations.
Furthermore, the company has successfully prevented union wins at a second Staten Island warehouse, as well as in facilities located near Albany, New York, and Bessemer, Alabama.
In November, an administrative law judge from the NLRB ordered a fresh union election for workers in Bessemer after establishing that Amazon had committed multiple violations prior to the initial election setup, which resulted in a union defeat. This rerun election is set for March 2022, following challenges lodged by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is working to represent Amazon employees in that area.
The Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment, or CAUSE, has been organizing efforts at the North Carolina location since January 2022. During a prior interview, co-founder Brown highlighted that he was motivated to organize due to perceived inadequacies in Amazon’s COVID-19 safety measures for its employees.
In response to the election outcome, Amazon asserted that it already provides many of the benefits sought by unions, such as competitive pay and a safe, inclusive work environment.
“We are pleased that our team in Garner expressed their preferences and chose to maintain a direct relationship with Amazon,” said company spokesperson Eileen Hards in an official statement.
